Uncategorized – Page 8 – There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity.

Top 5 Songs of 2020

5. It Just Doesn’t Happen, Destroyer 4. Starfall, Salem 3. Texas Sun, Khurangbin & Leon Bridges 2. Inspirit, Julianna Barwick 1.Carousels, Doves

10. 1995, Kruder & Dorfmeister 9. Black Swallow, by Chihei Hatakeyama 8. Green (reissue), Hiroshi Yoshimura 7. 76:14 (box set reissue), Global Communication 6. Another Flower, Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie 5. Una Presencia En La Brisa, Rafael Anton Irisarri & Leandro Fresco 4. Mixing Colours, Roger and Brian Eno 3. Healing Is A Miracle,Continue reading “Top 10 Albums of 2020”

O, Christmas Tree

“Simply put, a tradition is the past.” My latest for CiRCE is about Christmas trees in particular and traditions in general. It is a delicate point I try to make in this essay. I have attempted it a few times before, but find it endlessly refinable: there is some sense in which knowing the originContinue reading “O, Christmas Tree”

Proverbial: Episode 45

This week’s episode of Proverbial is about the pursuit of fame and glory. On a personal note, it’s my favorite show since the one where I whined about middle-class people trying to look rich.

Revisited

Rewatched this one with Sean tonight on his recommendation and it was only the second time I’ve seen it. While I enjoyed the first time around, the second time was better because I had already found the edges. It recalled for me numerous scenes from my twenties: road trips with strangers, sleeping on couches, andContinue reading “Revisited”

If You Do Not Believe Things Are Already Good, You Do Not Actually Believe Things Will Get Better

It’s one thing to see this billboard in the middle of a pandemic (and to take heart), but another thing to realize the billboard went up before the pandemic began and that this is the brighter future. This– the pandemic, the lockdown, the election, the year that “WAP” dominated the charts– this is the “betterContinue reading “If You Do Not Believe Things Are Already Good, You Do Not Actually Believe Things Will Get Better”

Harold Budd: In Memoriam

My latest for CiRCE is a brief retrospective (and appreciation) of Harold Budd, who died this week at the age of 84.

How To Write The Perfect Novel

“The perfect novel has three parts. In the first part, you describe everything you have ever learned about people. In the second part, you describe everything that has happened since the French Revolution began. In the third part, you offer readers a little perspective.” -advice given to me on writing the perfect novel from MichaelContinue reading “How To Write The Perfect Novel”

Harold Budd, My Favorite Living Musician, Has Gone On To His Eternal Reward

At the age of 84, my favorite living musician, Harold Budd, has died. I was listening to his record The Plateaux of Mirror when I received a text from a friend informing me of his repose. For the last several years of my life, Harold Budd has been a regular fixture of my days. HisContinue reading “Harold Budd, My Favorite Living Musician, Has Gone On To His Eternal Reward”

New Uncritical Prejudices

There is no “bizarre” Old Testament purity law moden men wouldn’t take seriously if “recent studies” showed it had health benefits. One easily imagines “cloth spun of two fibers” becoming unpopular after headlines reported human skin was healthier (“and 20% more luminous”) when regularly covered with single fiber cloth. Neither would anyone who decided toContinue reading “New Uncritical Prejudices”